Beijing: Taiwan has launched a strong protest against Beijing for using economic pressure to interfere in politics of the self-governed island after a Taipei-based hotel chain apologised for excluding the Chinese flag from Olympic decorations at its Paris hotel earlier this month.
Citing Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Focus Taiwan reported that China has continuously coerced foreign businesses into adhering to its political goals through the use of boycotts, penalties, tax audits, and regulatory infractions.
The ministry claimed that Beijing’s political manoeuvring “undermined the rules-based international order and normal business practices.”
The Taipei-based Evergreen Group, according to Focus Taiwan, issued an apology on Friday this week after a Chinese influencer said in a TikTok post on August 13 that he did not want to check into the Evergreen Laurel Hotel in Paris because the Chinese flag was not one of the flags flown in the lobby.
The Evergreen Laurel Hotel’s Shanghai and Paris locations were taken down from booking platforms by several Chinese travel portals shortly after TikTok was uploaded and circulated via Mandarin-speaking communities around the globe, reported Focus Taiwan.
